Long Road to Redemption
by JayLah
Summary: Thorn wakes up to find Sable and Irina gone. Determined to get them back, he gets more than he bargained for. Set between Close Kin and In the Coils of the Snake.
1. Chapter 1

AN: After reading the rundown of what happened to the rest of Sable's band (from CBD's site), I thought I would write fic based on their story since it's never mentioned within the novels. Thorn's the protagonist, but don't worry, he gets his payback for what he did to Sable, rather quickly.

**Long Road to Redemption**

**Chapter 1**

When Thorn woke up, it was quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Something was wrong.

He sat up in his tent and looked around him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He was alone in his tent, just like he had been for the last five years. All of his possessions were in order. It was just silent.

That's what was wrong. He didn't hear usual evening sounds of Sable going about her nightly chores or Irina's voice prattling about nothing.

Suddenly, the events just before his forced sleep came rushing back to him.

Seylin about to kill the horse… his ugly, irritating fiancée marching into camp and stopping him… the hideous goblin child Rowan found lurking around the camp… Sable clinging to Thorn's arm, begging him not to do anything that would harm the horrible child, because more goblins would come find them… Then nothing.

That all happened outside. Yet, now somehow he was inside.

He charged out of his tent and looked around the cave that served as their winter camp. There was no one.

"Ugly woman! Rowan! Irina!"

He flung open each tent, looking for the members of his band. Sable and Irina's was empty, but Rowan's was occupied. Thorn shook him awake.

"Thorn, what is it?" the black haired elf asked, groggily. "What's happened?"

"That's what I want to ask you," Thorn said. "The women are gone."

"Stars above!" They heard Willow exclaim.

Both men rushed to the young elf's tent and opened the flaps. The boy sat in his dwelling holding a brown cloak that looked better than any of theirs. It was Seylin's.

After continued searching around the camp and outside turned up no Sable and Irina, the three remaining elves discussed their situation, trying to piece together what happened.

"It's that Seylin," Thorn said. "I knew that pretty elf was after our women. Sab- The ugly woman was right." It killed him to admit anything positive about her, even now. "More right than she thought. Seylin had seen goblins alright. He was working with them to take our women."

"But he had one already," Willow pointed out. "The ugly one with the brown hair."

"He wasn't content with her, now was he?" Thorn crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "He was after Irina all along, just like I said. The goblins helped him get her in exchange for the ugly woman. It all makes sense. Only something as hideous as a goblin would want her. They had him infiltrate the camp to gain our trust and then took us unawares."

"At least they left us some of his supplies," Willow said, still clutching the warm cloak and examining a brand new knife and extra clothing.

Thorn and Rowan exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

"Well, they're not getting away with this," Thorn said. "We're getting our women back."

Now Rowan and Willow exchanged looks, but of horror.

"They're very powerful," Rowan said. "We were awake outside, ready to kill a horse one minute and they put us to sleep the next. How can we fight an enemy who can beat us without striking a blow?"

Thorn wouldn't hear it. "They stole something that belongs to me and I'm taking it back."

"Is Irina really worth whatever torture the goblins might put you through?"

At this, he paused. Thorn hadn't been talking about Irina. He meant Sable. She belonged to him ever since the night her father promised her to him when she was twelve years old. Even her hideous face couldn't change that, no matter how much he hated her.

"I'm taking back what's mine," he said.

Taking charge, Thorn led the others back outside where they last saw the women. Examining the ground for markings, he tried to piece together what happened and ended up turning it into a lesson for the poor hunter, Willow.

"See here?" He knelt down to the ground. "This is where Sable stood. These are her prints, next to mine," he said. "She knelt here beside me after I fell. She was picked up by the goblin that made these prints, but she was put down again, tried to run, then fell and had to be picked up again."

From there, they tracked her captor's prints out of camp. They meshed with those of other goblins and the horse. The hoof prints led to an area where the thieves temporarily camped some distance away. It was so far, the trio was forced to turn back immediately for fear that they wouldn't make it it back before the morning light blinded them.

"First thing tomorrow night, we set out," Thorn announced. "We'll bring our tents. Plan for at least a few days of travel."

"This isn't a good idea," Rowan said.

"We've hunted deer and all breeds of other animals since we were boys," Thorn said. "We can hunt these filthy goblins. They're certainly leaving us clear enough tracks to follow."

"Hunting the goblins isn't what I'm worried about," Rowan said. "It's the finding them."

Coward.

"Then stay. Both of you." Thorn charged past his friend, back into the cave. "I'm better on my own anyway."

"Um... Thorn." Willow followed the older elves into the camp.

"What?"

"I'm starving. We haven't eaten a thing all night. With the women gone, well, who's going to cook."

For once, Willow was right. Who was going to cook?

The three men looked at the hearth where Sable kept the pots and other cooking utensils. To them, the tools looked more like foreign objects. Certainly not anything they themselves would stoop to use.

"Damn those goblins!"

True to his word, Thorn marched out of camp with a pack carrying his tent and some food he and his band members managed to scrape together. It was so early in the evening that the sun still left touches of blazing pink in the sky. It was bright and pierced his elvish eyes, but he needed to start as soon as possible in order to cover enough ground before the moon set and the sun reappeared.

He made good time, reaching the goblin's temporary campsite before the moon had risen very high in the sky. He followed their prints for miles until he reached a forest. Thorn would have continued on, but the cursed sun began to rise, setting the sky on fire.

The next night, he picked up where he left off only to discover that he didn't have much farther to go. In that forest, he found goblin prints everywhere. The prints were of varying sizes, shapes, and even species, but they were mostly goblin. Many of them too. If he hadn't been a skilled hunter, the lumbering creatures would have caught him right away. But no, he was raised to outwit animals.

During the nights, Thorn hid and lurked, keeping silent and keeping to the shadows, trying to figure out his best course of action. During the day, he camped on the far side of the forest where goblins never went.

Weeks passed, yet he couldn't find a way to penetrate their defenses. He found the place that must have been the opening to their home, but it looked like pure rock that he couldn't pass through.

As hopeless as it was, he couldn't give up. Thorn couldn't go back to camp empty handed and admit defeat to Rowan and Willow. There would be no respecting himself if he did. So he stayed and waited.

Miraculously, Thorn's patience paid off. On the night of the full moon, more than just goblins came out of the steep bluffs of the hill. A small party made up of elves, humans, and goblins came prancing out. Among them was Sable.

At the sight of her, Thorn almost gave himself away. This wasn't the hideously disfigured and pitiful creature he last saw in the camp. This was the Sable he loved and thought was lost to him forever. Those twin scars that once mangled her cheeks had somehow disappeared and she was beautiful again.

He watched her for hours as she played and danced under the light of the full moon. He couldn't take his eyes off of the enchanting sight. The light from her smile rivaled the stars. Even in their happiest days, they had never been so carefree and happy. They never had time.

All too soon, it was over. The goblins herded their captives back inside.

Thorn glowered from his hiding place as one of the goblins took Sable's hand and held it like he was accustomed to doing so regularly.

His plan was still the same, but with a small alteration. Thorn still planned on getting Sable back, Irina too if he could. But now, he was going to bring his resurrected fiancee home to marry her at last.


	2. Chapter 2

I want to give a huge thank you to realityfail for reviewing my story. You rock!

**Chapter 2**

_"Lord Sable," Thorn said as forcefully and confidently as he dared while facing the domineering older man._

_The leader of their band had always been the strongest, most fearsome thing Thorn had ever known. As such, he respected him tremendously. Lord Sable was always hard on them, pushing them to be strong and tough enough to survive the difficult life that laid before them. Thorn expected him to be no less hard when receiving an offer of marriage for his daughter. Judging by the stormy look in Lord Sable's cold black eyes, he was right._

_Thorn squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. He would not stammer and cower in front of this man the way the others did. "I am 16 and old enough to hunt for both your daughter and myself. I promise I will be good to her. I will feed and shelter her. When she is a woman, I will make her a good husband- if you approve of our engagement."_

_The older man continued staring at him blankly without responding. The elf lord's bottomless black eyes never looked so positively frightening. Not even when he beat Thorn bloody when he was 14, for failing to bring home his share of food for three weeks straight. Thorn felt his confidence falter._

_Maybe he had asked too soon. Maybe he should have waited a little longer._

_Finally, the lord spoke. "Sable!" he called for his daughter._

_The black haired girl dropped the knife she had been using to butcher the deer Thorn just brought back to camp. She wiped the blood off of her hands and walked gracefully over to the two men. Sable gave Thorn a quick smile before turning seriously to her father. She already knew what Thorn was going to ask and was just as excited as he had been at the thought of their engagement._

_Lord Sable looked back and forth between the teenagers, his arms crossed over his chest. Finally, the man settled his gaze upon his daughter.  
_

_"Thorn and I have decided that you will marry him," the gruff man said. He looked around the camp at the rest of the band members who were hard at work in various tasks, and gave a resigned sigh. "I don't think you could find a better husband."_

_Those last words, traditionally meant as a compliment or a recommendation for the prospective groom, came out almost offensively. But it was true. Rowan was already engaged and little Willow was still a child. Thorn was the best the camp had to offer Lord Sable's daughter and apparently he didn't think that was worth celebrating._

_Oblivious to any misgivings her father might have, Sable thanked them both._

_Just before dawn, at the morning meal, Thorn and Sable exchanged vows as the rest of the band looked on. Then for the first time, he gave his new fianc_é_e her food._

* * *

Thorn awoke alone in his tent. The dream or memory felt so real, it left him disoriented and he had to take a long moment to figure out where he was and during what time.

But no, that dream was from 11 years ago, back when life made sense. Now he was camped out on the outskirts of goblin land, waiting for his next glimpse of Sable.

He took the dream of their engagement as a good sign. It was the full moon and this might be the night he finally got his wife back._  
_

For months, he continued in his hunt, waiting for his opportunity to take her back. During that time, he avoided the goblins with ease and soon memorized the Guards' patrol routine so well that he no longer worried about being caught. The monsters weren't only terrible at hiding and following tracks, they didn't seem to take their jobs as guards very seriously. They spent more time picking flowers than looking for enemies.

The patterns of Sable sightings were also easy to follow. Every full moon, she was allowed out, accompanied by guards, a goblin child, and two other female captives. One of those captives was a blond elf woman, who wore a golden snake. The other was a black haired human girl.

Often, fights broke out between the human and goblin boy. It was during one of those fights that Thorn saw his opportunity.

The children ran ahead of the women and guards, racing each other to the lake.

"Ha! I win!" The girl jumped up and down, taunting the boy. "You're always so slow! Beating you is so pathetically easy."

"It's not my fault you're tall with gawky legs," he fired back.

"Catspaw, Til," the blond elf said in a gentle but firm warning voice as she and the others came within sight of the lake shore. "Be polite."

"Yes Mother," they said in unison.

Thorn was dumbfounded that this elf woman was the mother of a goblin and a human who looked nothing like her, save the boy's one blue eye.

"I probably _should_ apologize, Til," Catspaw said. "I shouldn't have mentioned your abnormal height and gawkiness. Such things shouldn't be mentioned in polite conversation."

"I'm sorry, too," the girl said.

"That's a lie," the goblin noted.

"I shouldn't of mentioned your inability to win a simple race against your non-magical sister," Til said, with acid sweetness. "I also shouldn't mention what a bad sign that is for your kingship. But then, you'll never be as good a King as Papa anyway."

The goblin didn't reply with words. Before anyone could stop him, he lifted his pawed hand and set his sister's pretty black hair ablaze.

The guards and the children's mother ran toward the shrieking girl. Sable stood back, shielding her eyes.

Thorn didn't hesitate. He approached her silently from behind. Quickly, he sealed his hand over her mouth just as he wrapped his free arm around her middle. She struggled and gave a muffled cry to no avail. With ease, Thorn dragged Sable into the shadows of the woods.

* * *

"Stop struggling!" Thorn growled, pulling Sable behind him. "Don't you see I'm trying to rescue you, you stupid woman?"

After all the time spent sneaking around and plotting, he was finally reaching the goal and that goal was ruining it all by fighting him.

He had known enough to cover her mouth as he snatched her, because of course she would be frightened until she realized it was him. But he didn't expect her to continue struggling after he revealed himself and his intention to save her.

"Are you mad!" Thorn hissed, stopping to cover her mouth again. "They'll hear you and take you back to those caves. I'll never get this chance again."

Sable bit down on the flesh of his palm and he yelped in pain.

"Get your hands off me," she screamed, trying to wrestle herself free. "Help! Tinsel!"

Thorn started running, dragging her behind him to create as much ground between them and her kidnappers as possible so they wouldn't hear her screams. Irina would have to fend for herself.

Once they were some distance away and all her efforts to escape proved ineffective, Sable stopped yelling and struggling. Grateful, he looked down at her and found her staring back at him with the same look of hatred mixed with wariness. It was the same way she had looked at him for years since the night she scarred herself. Back then, she looked at him that way with good reason. But she had no reason to now. Not with that face.

As they slowed down, Thorn studied her admiringly. Her scars were completely gone except for faint marks on either cheek. After that mangled hideousness, these slight blemishes were quite attractive.

"You look even more beautiful than I remembered," Thorn said.

He waited for a thank you or some sort of acknowledgment of the compliment he just paid her, but receiving nothing beyond the wary look of hatred, Thorn stopped walking.

"Stars above Sable! Don't you see? We can continue where we left off on our marriage moon. Everything can be the way it should have been. Do you have nothing to say?"

She dropped her gaze and let her eyes wander. Then, seeming to gather strength, her blue eyes rose to meet his gray ones.

"I would rather carve my face a thousand times over than marry you," she said.

Thorn was furious beyond words. Crazy, ungrateful woman!

He drew his hand back and started to swing just as Sable shouted a string of unfamiliar utterances. Before the back of his hand touched her smooth cheek, a shiny white force originating from her hand shot forward, slamming him in the chest and knocking him backward.

It felt like time had slowed as he watched Sable grow smaller and smaller in his view as the distance between them grew.

Time resumed its natural pace when his back made contact with a tree trunk, knocking the air straight out of him.

Leaves rained down on the man from the tree above.

Thorn struggled for breath as pain coursed through his body, both from the tree and from where her magic struck him. The entire time, his eyes never left Sable's. Her widening blue eyes looked even more shocked than he felt. Slowly, Thorn regained his bearings and stood up. Sable raised her right hand and it glowed with that white, powerful light again. He had never in his life seen a woman perform magic before.

"Don't come near me," she said.

He wanted to take a step back, but the tree was still behind him.

They continued staring at each other, frozen in the moment. Neither was used to their new positions. He had never cowered or back down from anyone in his adult life. She had never had anyone at her mercy before. Neither knew how to proceed.

"Sable," Thorn said carefully. "We need to go. The goblins will realize you're gone. They'll find us if we don't hurry."

"I'm not leaving with you."

She was absolutely mad, Thorn realized. But he tried to keep his anger out of his voice. "I know you don't want to leave Irina with these monsters, but we need to escape now and get home before they recapture you. Maybe we can try to come back for her when it's safer."

"This is my home," she said. "Leave here now."

Thorn's patience had officially worn out and the magic light from her hand had faded.

"The goblin caves are your home? It's a good thing your father is dead in the ground right now, because he would slit your throat for talk like that. I'm tempted to myself. You're coming home with me right now, even if I have to drag you there every step of the way."

He charged forward to grab her again. Fear came back into her blue eyes and she tried to repeat the words of her spell, but they came out in a garbled string of stammers that had no effect.

Thorn was just about to wrap his coarse hand around her arm when, without warning, Sable disappeared and the world dissolved around him.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews sassygirl93, Roxy87, Karihp, and AiramS! I like fics with characters from the series too, Karihp. I wish there were more of them here. AirmS, at the end, Thorn was knocked out by a goblin sleep spell.

**Chapter 3**

Thorn felt like he smashed his head against a thousand tree trunks. His temples throbbed and he lay in complete darkness. That's when he realized his eyes were closed. No amount of effort allowed him to open them. An invisible force held them tightly shut.

He struggled to remember exactly what happened. The last thing he could remember was reaching for Sable. Then nothing. All blackness. Just like the night the goblins stole her from him in the first place.

But then, without warning, Sable was suddenly before him, shining lightly through the darkness. Thorn knew his eyes remained locked behind their lids, yet here she was, in the blackness with him.

This must be a dream, he decided.

They sat facing each other, her legs hidden beneath the long blue skirt that spread in a circle around her. The color of the gown matched her eyes perfectly, but it was too fancy. To unnatural. The glossy fabric and flashy jewelry marred her own perfection. She would look more beautiful in a simple dress of brown or green. Thorn was about to tell her just that and order her to put on something more fitting for an elf, but, just like his eyes, his mouth wouldn't obey.

"You've done enough talking," Sable said. "You've talked for years and years. But now, I get to talk and I'll tell you this, even if I hated the goblins and they were putting me through the worst torture there was, I still wouldn't go back home to marry you. I'd slit my throat first."

She stared at him serenely, for a moment, studying his humiliating and ineffective struggles against whatever magic held him prisoner.

An unfamiliar confidence adorned her now. This wasn't girl he was engaged to or the woman he taunted at for years. This Sable was a new creature entirely.

"You shouldn't have followed me, Thorn," she said. "Didn't you say you wished the goblins would come to take me off your hands? Too bad you didn't mean it. You would have saved yourself a lot of trouble." She paused to stare at him, obviously enjoying his fruitless struggle to control himself. "You don't like being under my power, do you? Of course not. You're used to being the one in control. Well, you'll never be in control again."

Thorn was at the point of boiling over. Unaccustomed to being at anyone's mercy, much less a woman's, he raged against his magical bindings and tried to call that witch every crude name his mind could grasp. But all to no avail.

"You shouldn't have followed me," Sable said again. "Now, you'll never be rid of me."

* * *

The doe lowered her head, dipping her slender neck to feed upon the grassy meadow, completely unaware of the elf creeping silently in the bushes. Willow inched his way toward the animal, his knife poised. He was just a few paces away when the deer jerked in alarm. Her ears shot up at attention.

The elf froze. Willow thought he had been doing such a good job staying silent. A second later, he realized he wasn't the one who startled the deer.

A scream of absolute terror sliced through the air.

The doe leapt from her spot, graceful even in her haste.

Another shriek, louder and closer than before, erupted, followed by the sound of frantic footfalls crushed twigs and scattered rocks, making a clumsy racket.

A human, Willow decided with distaste. Only a human could be that loud in the woods. He wished he could perform the Rabbit Spell like Thorn and deal with this intruder properly.

Just as we was about to continue after the doe, the creature making all the noise burst through the trees, into the meadow. His green tunic and britches were so muddy, they might as well have been brown. The blond hair jetted every which way with twigs, leaves, and dirt mixed in. Worst of all were the wild gray eyes filled with complete and utter fright.

Willow gaped at the man, no less horrified himself.

It was Thorn.

* * *

They were talking about him. Thorn watched them from the corner of the camp where he rocked, holding his knees tightly to his chest.

Every so often, Rowan and Willow glanced over at him with looks of uncomfortable worry before turning back to each other for further discussion.

The hushed whispers of "It was the goblins," "What do you think they did to him?" "Gave him a fear of everything," "What should we do?" didn't bother Thorn.

No, he was much more concerned with flames from the hearth that seemed to reach out to sear him and the metal pot with its menacing shine and the boots leaning against a tree that looked like they might stomp him into the ground and the green tents which could swallow him whole and just about everything else in the messy camp that once seemed so ordinary, but now loomed around him with malicious design.

Thorn didn't even want to contemplate the horrors that lurked just outside the camp clearing. Willow and Rowan had spent a great deal of time trying to coax him inside. Now that he was there, the blond man knew he would never have the courage to leave.

A hand fell on Thorn's shoulder and he let out a shrill cry.

Rowan stepped back, startled. "Um... What... we just wanted to know... What hap... I mean." He shifted uncomfortably, trying not to meet Thorn's frightened gray eyes. "It's late," he said at last. "It's almost morning. We should get some sleep. Everything'll be better in the evening. Right Willow?"

"Yes," the teenager nodded fervently. "We'll be all back to normal in the evening."

With Thorn too scared to move from his corner, Willow and Rowan were left the task of pitching their leader's tent. It took quite a bit of reassurances and convincing to then get the blond man to enter his own tent by himself.

Once alone, Thorn squeezed his eyes shut to block out the view of the slopping green cloth that came to a sharp point right above his head. Sleep didn't come easily, but once it did, he immediately felt the relief of escape flow over him.

_He stood at the edge of the summer camp. The moon was full and beautiful. Its reflection shimmered in the lake where Sable swam. _

_Thorn approached the shore and watched the dark haired woman slip gracefully through water. A few minutes past before she saw him. Sable waved and called for him to join her. Readily, he pulled off his boots and swam out to meet her. Holding Sable in his arms, Thorn knew it had to be a dream. He bowed his head to kiss her and wondered how long it would last. _

_Just as his lips brushed hers, the woman's hands ran through his blond hair, softly at first. Then, without warning, her fingers coiled around the strands and took root. _

_Thorn tried to pull away, but just as soon as he gained a centimeter of distance, Sable dunked him beneath the surface of the lake. With an unnatural strength, she held him under._

_As he struggled, pushed and grasping at her arms, he could see her through the distortion and ripples of the water. Her flawless face beamed happily down at him as he drowned._

Thorn awoke to the sound of his own screams. His senses and the blinding light streaming through the cracks in the tent told him it was still daytime. Yet, he was too afraid to go back to sleep.

Now he knew what Sable had meant when she said he would never be rid of her._  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Thanks for the review AiramS!

**Chapter 4**

_"Are you a dream?" Thorn asked._

_He and Sable laid on the grass, fingers entwined, gazing up at the stars. Her palm molded against his, free of scars, just as it had been the night he tried to steal her back from the goblins._

_"Don't be absurd," she said. "Of course this is a dream. When did we ever have time to do anything like this?"_

_Thorn knew he was dreaming. The only time his whole body wasn't raked with agitation and dread was when he slept. At least, at first. No, Sable always gave him a moment of peace, maybe even happiness, before the horror ripped it all away from him. That was all part of the torture._

_"I know this is a dream!" Thorn snapped. Then he recoiled under her icy blue glare. "What I- what I meant was, are you a dream too? Or do you come to me every day just to torment me?"_

_Smiling, Sable rolled over on her side and cupped his face in her hands. "Yes, I'm a dream. The real me is far away, living happily with her husband, and not thinking about you in the slightest."_

_"Of course."_

_Thorn thought about what she had said about never having done anything like this while they were together. They had never been this peaceful and relaxed in reality. They always had so much work to do in the fight to survive. What he wouldn't give to go back and have a real moment like this._

_"If you could go back, is that the only thing you would change?" Sable asked, hearing his thoughts._

_Thorn didn't answer right away. He had always been straight forward and decidedly unapologetic about the past. It was something he couldn't control which naturally scared him. He looked only at the present and maybe a few steps into the future. Those, he used to be able to control._

_But now... Thorn had no control over anything and the past wouldn't stop thrusting itself in his face. So he considered it. The first thought that came into his mind gave him a jolt._

_He hated Sable. He had for years. Now more than ever, Thorn had every reason to despise her. Yet..._

_"I would have... I might've been little... kinder to you after you..."_

_"After I mutilated my face rather than marry you?" she asked._

_A frown creased his forehead. "Yes."_

_"Really?" Sable raised her eyebrows. "You wouldn't have stopped me from cutting my face in the first place?"_

_"I would do that too," he said defensively. "Then I would've given you a very happy year."_

_"A happy year," she repeated._

_Sable leaned forward to kiss him. Thorn quickly backed away. In these dreams, kisses were always the prelude to something particularly ghastly._

_"You don't want to kiss me?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face. "But it's our marriage moon."_

_Sure enough, Thorn looked beyond her to see the full moon rising over the trees in the distance._

_He turned back to her again and let out an involuntary cry._

_Sable grinned at him, blood draining from two fresh wounds across her cheeks. She played with her father's slippery knife in crimson stained hands._

_"What's wrong?" she asked. "Am I too ugly for you to marry now? Oh, I can fix that." Without warning, Sable had him pinned down to the grass with that unnatural strength that came with her dream-self. She raised her father's knife above her head. "Don't worry. It's easy. Just like butchering deer..."_

_The knife came down across his face._

* * *

Willow didn't so much as jump when Thorn's screams destroyed the quiet of the camp. After years of waking up to the sound, it barely registered anymore. He doubted Rowan, who was still asleep in his tent, even stirred.

As the camp quieted down again, Willow lifted his elf knife and sliced into the deer meat. Ever since the goblin spells made Thorn too frightened to venture very far from his own tent, more responsibilities had to be delegated to the youth as he grew up. The many years hadn't just taught him how to block out the screams of his former leader, but they had molded him into a man capable of both hunting and cooking for himself and his band members.

The young man prepared the evening meal, absentmindedly pondering the sight he witnessed the night before while he gathered firewood. It was a pair of humans, a man and a woman. They walked hand in hand in the twilight by the lake. Neither of them was much to look at, but they seemed to enjoy gazing at each other. And he had watched them and the looks in their eyes, knowing he would never have that or anything close to it for himself.

"You're burning the meat," Rowan said, walking out of his tent and jolting Willow out of his thoughts.

Sure enough, the meat was charred to the pan.

"Rowan, I was thinking," Willow said as he scrapped the food onto the plates. "If we keep going on like we are, with no women and all, what are we going to do?"

"We're already doing it," he replied. "We divide the women's work and the men's work between us."

"I'm talking about the band," the younger man said. "There'll be no children and the band will end with us."

The dark haired elf stopped to ponder that for a moment and then shrugged, continuing to eat.

"You're depressing this evening," he said. "You shouldn't think so hard about things like that. We've got a good life, don't we?"

Willow had nothing to compare their life to, so he really didn't know how to answer that.

"Look, we've got food, shelter, and the stars," Rowan said. "We're lucky we don't have women. If we did, we'd have to become engaged to them and care about them. Then we would marry them and they would die having our child. Then there would be another mouth to feed and no one to take care of the baby." He paused. "Or there wouldn't be a baby at all and the woman you loved would've died for nothing and it would be your fault."

Rowan stopped, a dazed and agitated look on his face. Willow wondered if he was thinking about Laurel. He had only been 9 when they put Laurel and the tiny, bloody body of her baby into the ground. He had never heard Rowan even elude to it before. This was the closest he had come. No one but Sable had wanted to talk about it afterward.

"We're better off without women," Rowan said, standing up. "I'll go give Thorn his food."

Just as Willow began wondering if the older man was right, an elf woman with blond hair stepped through the trees and into the camp's clearing, holding the hand of a remarkably handsome elf man with aristocratic black hair.

A second man was with them, but Rowan and Willow barely noticed him. They were too transfixed, first by the appearance of a woman after the discussion they just had. Then by the dark haired haired man.

They couldn't speak. They could barely form thoughts as their gaze met his black eyes. The world and everything they knew fell away from them like shackles and they knew their lives were no longer their own.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews AiramS, Roxy87, and LittleMargarita!

**Chapter 5**

In the few years since Nir's father died and his search for the elves began, the elf lord had discovered camps in varying states of disrepair. This one was by far the worst.

The two men he saw first were filthy from their greasy, choppily cut hair to their stained and tattered clothing. Dents and chips covered the metal pans they ate out of. Deer and horse bones littered the ground. It almost wasn't an elf camp at all. There were more human features than anything.

Nir's hand received a firm squeeze. He looked down at his wife. Kara smiled up at him reassuringly and he felt a little better.

"Hello," the elf lord said to his newly discovered people in elvish. They stared at him, confused, so he tried English, which they understood. "I am Ash. My people call me Nir."

The elf men just stared at the trio for a moment before realizing it was their turn to speak.

"I'm Rowan," said the one with black hair and green eyes. "This is Willow."

Nir nodded in recognition. Releasing his wife's hand and stepping forward, Nir placed a palm on each of their shoulders. "My magic sent me to find you. Our people have been scattered and lost. I'm gathering together all of the remaining elves so we can rebuild our culture. Will you join my band?"

Even as he said it, the elf lord knew it wasn't really a request at all. They had to join him. They were his people. They belonged to him. The pale, thin men wore expressions of mesmerized terror and awe. In just those quick moments, they had lost their free will to him and became a part of the way of life he was rebuilding.

At least they weren't crying. He hated it when his people cried.

A rustling within one of the tents immediately caught all of Nir's concentration. His magic studied the being and he knew at once the creature was an elf, but something wasn't right. At mangled, malicious darkness ensnared him so tightly, Nir could hardly see through it.

"Who else is here?" he asked Rowan and Willow.

The pair turned to each other in surprise.

"Thorn."

The two men managed to coax their companion out of the tent and brought him before Nir.

This elf looked even more ghastly than the other two. Not only were his clothes stained with food and dirt, not only did his choppy, multi-length hair jut out in all directions, but there was also a look of savage fear in his eyes. He was more of a wild animal than a man.

Nir's hand raised toward Thorn. A surge of power flowed through the lord, releasing the poor elf from the enchantments.

* * *

As if for the first time, Thorn examined his dirt coated hands with the brown creases in the palms, marveling that they no longer trembled. The fearful shudders were absent throughout the rest of his body as well.

Thorn surveyed the camp, taking in the stained rags, the tattered tents, the left over scraps of food and bones- none of it had ever looked more beautiful to him because the imaginary threat they posed no longer existed. His companions too seemed to shine under this new freedom.

The darkness that had twisted around the elf and suffocated him for years was now gone. So distracted was he by this, he forgot about the three elves who had found their camp.

"Thorn," Nir said, catching his attention. "Tell me what happened to you. Tell me everything."

A brand new, yet deep cutting shame stole Thorn's happiness away. How could he tell these people about his past? As it turned out, he didn't have much of a choice since the words came tumbling out of their own accord.

The story was a long one and it started before the goblins came to camp.

None of the three newcomers hid their horror as Thorn told them about his treatment of Sable after she refused to marry him. Saying it all out loud was a surreal experience. It didn't feel like any of those things could have ever been a part of his past. He could never be bold enough to harm the fearsome creature from his nightmares. But he had and he felt just as revolted by it as the newcomers. Their disgust turned to shock as the elf goblin Seylin entered the tale.

"I never thought I would hear a story where elf women were better off being stolen by goblins," Nir said quietly. "Did they put the curses on you when they raided the camp?"

"No," Thorn said, watching how the elf lord's clean, smooth hand folded into his wife's. He couldn't meet this man's eyes. "They took Sable and Irina, and left us supplies."

"Supplies?"

"Clothing," Willow said.

"And an elf knife." Rowan held it up.

"Why would they leave these things for you?" Nir asked.

Thorn and the others just shrugged.

"Very ungoblin-like behavior," he mused. "When did they put the spells on you?"

"I tracked the goblins back to their caves," the blond man explained. "I tried to get Sable back- Irina too, if I could. I got Sable, but- but-"

The sound of Sable's voice and the words she said that night filled his ears.

_Get your hands off me...I would rather carve my face a thousand times over than marry you...This is my home. Leave here now._

"-she fought me. She would rather stay with the goblins than come home with me."

"Can't say that I blame her," murmured the other elf man, Hunter.

The elf woman, Kara, nudged and shushed him.

"After she fought me, everything went black," Thorn went on. "When I woke up..."

"How long have you been under these spells?" Nir asked.

Thorn had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like both one very long, endless night or one hundred years.

"About fourteen years now, I'd say," Willow said.

"Fourteen years," Nir repeated softly. "That's a very long time to live that way... but you had a lot to repent for."

The elf lord paused for a long moment, looking up at the stars as if searching them for answers. Finally, he looked down at the elves.

"Willow, Rowan, you may both join my band," he said at last. "But Thorn, I need some time to consider this."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Thanks for the review LittleMargarita and Roxy!

**Chapter 6**

"What are we going to do?" came Willow's voice.

"I think we have to leave with the elf lord," was Rowan's sober reply.

There was a long pause.

As he studied the burning globes of light and the dark blue disk of the moon, Thorn heard Rowan and Willow discussing their new situation. While Nir, Kara, and Hunter were tactful enough to discuss his future at a distance, Thorn's two companions were so used to talking about him right in front of him by now that they didn't bother lowering their voices or moving away. It never mattered before because Thorn was too far gone to worry about what they said. Now, it still didn't matter.

Though he heard them, the night sky held most of his attention. Like the nightmare Sable had said, he never spent much time doing anything beyond work. Years ago, when life got particularly difficult, the real Sable would say, "At least we can look at the stars; at least we haven't been captured by goblins." Back then, Thorn thought that was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard, and he let her know it.

Now, the elf man knew she was right. Thorn didn't particularly mind that he might not be able to join the elf lord's band or that his companions might abandon him. At least he could look at the stars. At least he could walk about the forest instead of cowering inside a tent. At least fear no longer held him prisoner.

The loss of his friends would hurt, but that could be dealt with when it came. Right now, Thorn could still watch the stars peacefully. That was more than he could say for Sable.

If fourteen years had passed, she must have died long ago, bringing a monster baby into the world. Thorn felt pangs of guilt and regret at the loss. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have considered a life with goblins preferable to one with her own people. Now Sable would never know her revenge on him worked. Living in a constant state of fight made him regret the horrors he himself had heaped upon her all those years ago. Now there was no way to ever make it right.

His friends started talking again, interrupting Thorn's thoughts on the complicated feelings of love, hate, and regret he had for Sable.

"I don't think I can leave him," Willow was saying. "He can't survive on his own."

Thorn's stomach clenched. Though he was free from the enchantments, he was still a burden to his friends.

"I don't know if I can leave him either," Rowan said. "But I don't know if I can refuse the elf lord. I feel a pull toward him, like I have to follow him where ever he leads."

Gray eyes still fixed on the stars, Thorn thought of all the kindness they had shown him, knowing if the situations had been reversed, he would have considered either of them a burden not worth the bearing. He had to repay their kindness by letting them know they could move on without guilt.

Thorn pried his gaze away from the sky and looked around camp for the tool he needed. A metal knife laid with a pile of stolen human cookware. He picked it up and tested the edge against his thumb. It wasn't like his old elf blade, which Willow now carried, but it would suffice.

"Where are you going?" Rowan called after him, alarmed to see Thorn striding out of camp on his own, weapon in hand.

"Hunting," the blond man replied simply. He then disappeared through the trees.

* * *

Thorn had to acknowledge fairly early on that he wasn't the bold hunter he used to be, despite being free from his magical shackles. The lack of practice combined with the new weariness that gripped his gut, the elf failed to build up enough courage to take down any of the deer he managed to track. More than once, he silently advanced on the creatures. Then, his nerve would shatter, causing him to stumble and spook the deer.

Finally, Thorn decided to settle on clearing out a burrow of hares. Not a grand haul for a once great hunter, but decent enough to cause Willow's eyes to widen in surprise as he carried them into camp.

"Not bad," Willow said, clapping the successful elf warmly on the shoulder.

Rowan did the same, startling Thorn from behind. As he walked around him, the blond elf knew Rowan had followed him out on his hunting expedition and watched. The two of them used to do the same thing to Willow when he was still learning.

"You did great," the black haired elf said, grinning sincerely.

"It's been my turn for a while, I think," Thorn replied.

The elf lord and his family wandered over as well.

"You're getting right back into life," Nir said, watching as the three elves prepared to butcher the fresh kills. "I can teach you a spell for that. We learned it not too long ago ourselves."

The elf lord soon had the three of them working the Butchering Spell on their own rabbit. The animals would disappear into a golden cloud and reappear in tidy, separate piles: the meat, the fur, and the powdered bones.

"Cleaner than doing it by hand, huh?" Hunter said, still excited by the relatively new spell. "Butchering used to leave us elbow deep in blood and it took half the night. Now, we have time for more important things, like dancing."

Willow, Rowan, and Thorn exchanged confused glances.

"What's dancing?" the younger of the three finally asked.

It was the elf lord's turn to exchange glances with his people. They looked almost as horrified as they had when Thorn told them about his treatment of Sable.

"You don't know what dancing is!" Kara cried.

"No wonder you've led such miserable lives," Nir exclaimed. "No wonder you treat each other so horribly! You're not living like normal elves."

"When we get back to camp, the three of you have to dance," Hunter said, nodding seriously. "Right away. For hours if necessary. It's the only way."

Nir and Kara glanced at their brother, a hint of a smile in their eyes.

"The three of us?" Thorn asked, barely daring to hope that might not have been a mistake.

"Yes, the three of you," the elf lord confirmed. "You may join our band. But I have one stipulation. You cannot attempt to form an engagement with any of our elf girls. It wouldn't be right after what happened with your last fiancé. If you can agree to this, you may join my band."

The blond man had waited calmly for whatever the stipulation was, expecting some type of feat that would prove his worth, not something so simple.

"Agreed," Thorn said.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews LittleMargarita and ShearViscosity!

**Chapter 7**

When Nir led the newcomers into camp, everyone dropped their knitting and stopped their dancing to rush over and inspect their new companions.

Sixteen year old Daisy was bubbling over with anticipation. She loved meeting new people. They provided new stories, more company, and their introduction broke up the monotony of the night. The girl was ready to love the newcomers for those reasons alone.

Squeezing the hand of her fiancé, Caper, she craned her neck to see around the elf lord as the group trudged through the trees into the clearing.

There were three of them.

The two walking directly behind Nir looked as nervous and cautious as she and her family had felt seven months ago when they came.

The men whispered to each other, examining the elves who studied them in return. The third man hung in the shadows of his companions. The slouch of his shoulders and the shuffling of his feet told the story of a broken man.

Nir introduced the men to his people. The first two, Willow and Rowan, nodded in recognition. The eyes of the third one, Thorn, shot up in surprise when Nir said his name.

His eyes were the saddest Daisy had ever seen. Those eyes were gray as a storm and weary beyond comprehension. They drew her in without a struggle.

Galnar was the first to step forward to greet them and introduce his family.

Daisy stepped forward too, pulling her fiancé along. "I'm Daisy. This is Caper, my fiancé. These are our brothers, Girzal and Falcon."

Releasing Caper's hand, she hugged each of them, leaving shocked and bewildered expressions on the faces of the three men. She hugged Thorn the longest.

"Don't worry," she said. "You'll settle in."

Just as soon as the girl released him, the rest of the band moved in on the trio.

Daisy couldn't help laughing as their bewilderment increased with their new band surrounding them, clapping them on the back, and asking them a continuous stream of questions while also leaving no time to answer them.

"How far away was your camp?"

"Do you know any new stories?"

"What about games? We're tired of ours."

"Are those real elf knives? How do you make them?"

The crowd only dispersed when Nir insisted they give the nervous men space.

"It won't always be this bad," Caper told the trio, as he, Daisy, and the boys walked away. "You won't be new forever. We'll all stop paying attention to you then."

Daisy nudged his arm playfully with her own. "Be nice," she whispered.

When Nir found her band, they were barely surviving, let alone living. When she remembered that moment they walked into camp and saw a group of elves she had never met before, Daisy's heart ached for them. They were in a better place, but still a foreign one.

* * *

Chatter and laughter wafted through the air accompanied by the whistling of a pipe. Everyone seemed so happy with each other. Very content.

Thorn felt completely disconnected from the whole scene, like it all had absolutely nothing to do with him and probably never would.

And there were so many of them. Not nearly as many as from the old stories, but a large number for him. At the largest he could remember their band had nine members. Eventually, through deaths, suicides, and kidnappings, that number slipped all the way down to just the three of them.

Now, they were part of a band of seventeen.

While Rowan and Willow put up their tents, they whispered their initial impressions of their new home and people to each other.

Thorn wasn't paying attention to their conversation. Since entering camp, one thing in particular puzzled him.

"One of the men introduced his wife and their two daughters," he mused quietly. "That can't be."

His companions looked up at him in surprise. They still weren't used to him speaking calmly.

"She must be his third wife," Rowan suggested.

Hunter and the sandy haired Caper came bounding up to them, apparently deciding they had had enough space for the moment.

"Time to dance," Hunter said. "I was telling my friend here you've never done it before. He's appalled."

"And disgusted," Caper agreed with a broad grin. "Let's go. You can finish that work later. Now that you're here, we can make two rows of rings instead of just one big one."

The instant Rowan and Willow joined one of the circles and began dancing to the rhythm of Galnar's fiddle, all the tension and worry piled upon them vanished. It was like they went from being separate individuals, lost on their own journey, to becoming part of something much bigger, much more grand.

Thorn, on the other hand, couldn't fall into the flow of the dance. Unable to find footing and movements that would make him one with the others, he kept disrupting the ring. Finally, he had to give up and let the others continue without him.

The music and laughter faded as he retreated to the half-finished tents.

"When you settle in, you'll get into the swing of it."

Thorn turned around to find that the girl who hugged them earlier, Daisy, had followed him.

Being directly addressed on his own by someone he barely knew was even more disconcerting than being surrounded by that crowd earlier with Rowan and Willow. At least then, he had his companions to rely on.

Not knowing how to respond, he just looked at her.

Like all elves, Daisy was very pretty. Her white blond hair hung straight down in a simple style about her slim shoulders. Expressive silvery blue eyes dominated over the porcelain white of her oval shaped face.

Those eyes examined him with concern and probably pity.

"When you do it again, you don't have to try so hard," Daisy explained. "It will come naturally. Dancing is something you do with the joy that's already in you."

Joy.

Right then and there Thorn knew he had to give up ever being able to dance with the others.

"I don't have any joy," the blond man said.

He rushed away from her as quickly as he could without running. He could feel those silvery eyes following him as he fled.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for taking the time to read and review LittleMargarita, ShearViscosity, and noonface!

**Chapter 8**

Thorn's breath caught in his chest as he awoke. Slowly, cautiously, he cracked his eyes open to survey his surroundings.

Just the same green tent he fell asleep in the day before and the day before that and every day for the last three weeks.

It wasn't all a dream. He released the breath he was holding and let the relief soak through him. Thank the stars- each and every one of them- that this was really happening.

Every evening, Thorn woke up with the dread that all the miracles and changes that had happened in their lives would turn out to be an elaborate nightmare meant to torture him even further. So far, that was not the case.

Sable hadn't made one of her nightmarish appearances since Nir released him from the spells. But habits were difficult to break. He lived with pure fear so long, it wasn't possible for him to live without it yet. The difference between the past horrors and his current situation was that instead of being frightened of everything around him, Thorn feared the fear itself now. He was absolutely terrified it would return to ensnare him again.

This gave him all the more reason to savor every bit of freedom he could grasp.

Right then, he would grasp at the opportunity to hunt. Thorn was still hopeless at dancing and painfully nervous around anyone besides Rowan and Willow. But one thing he inarguably excelled at was hunting. Alone in the woods, just him, the night breeze, and the deer, an aura of calm fell over him. Control was his and success fed their whole band.

That's why he spent most of his time alone either hunting or working with the remains of his quarry.

His was a simple, uneventful existence, but a peaceful one. Thorn didn't dare wish for more.

* * *

While Rowan and Willow melded in easily with everyone and were beginning to make friends, Daisy noticed that Thorn seemed content to remain on the outskirts of their small community, living in quiet solitary.

The girl decided this behavior must be the result of not only a difficult life, but a life filled with loss.

Loss was something she knew all about.

When Daisy was ten, her mother died giving birth to her stillborn sister. By then, Caper's mother was gone which forced Daisy to try and fail at working the birthing magic herself, costing her a mother, a sibling, and her father's love. Her father never said he blamed her, not out loud. He barely spoke after her mother died. He told her in the way his eyes fell upon her.

Her father died at the end of a human hunter's gun three years later, never having smiled at her again.

Daisy knew he was right to blame her. She certainly blamed herself.

If she had paid more attention to her mother's teachings, if she hadn't been so focused on growing flowers instead of learning serious magic, she wouldn't have failed her family.

That's why she had an almost physical need to help anyone within her reach. She was determined to be the mother to Girzal that she had taken away from him. For Caper and Falcon, she smiled and reassured them when they agonized over their poor hunting ability because they were failing to adequately feed their tiny band. Then, she would try to make up for the lack of meat by adding more radishes, berries, and any other edible plant she could find to their meager meals.

But no amount of smiles, reassuring, or plant gathering could solve their troubles. If it wasn't for Nir coming, they would have starved during the last winter.

Daisy was the same when they joined the band. She helped everyone she could whether it was in assisting with a serious problem or just making them feel better.

The girl decided the latest recipient of her assistance would be Thorn and she enlisted her fiancé's help in making him feel more involved in the band.

"Why can't you just include him in the game you, Hunter, and the others are playing tonight?" she asked.

Caper sat behind Daisy, combing out her damp hair. This was usually his favorite part of the evening. Watching those pale blond strands rise and fall by the stroke of the comb was mesmerizing. If only the unpleasant conversation wasn't ruining the moment.

"I don't think he wants to play," Caper said.

"You don't know that."

"Well, I just... I don't really... I don't like him," he whispered the words even though he and Daisy were sitting in the privacy of their own tent.

"What did he do to make you dislike him?" she asked.

"He makes me feel sorry for him."

Daisy twisted her neck to look back at her fiancé. "Makes you feel sorry for him?"

Caper shifted under her silvery blue gaze. "Well... he's not like the rest of us or even like his friends. He can't dance, he doesn't laugh or joke. He always looks sad and worried."

"That should make you more compassionate toward him."

"But, I don't like people I have to feel sorry for. It always makes me feel so awkward."

Daisy turned fully around and started playing with his sandy blond curls. There were many things she wanted to say, such as, "It shouldn't always be about you" or "Have you thought about how he might be feeling?" or even "You're not always the best at everything you do either." But she would never say any of those things to Caper. She loved him too much. Hurting his feelings or rubbing in his insecurities would be worse than carving her own heart out of her chest.

But, as much as she adored him, she couldn't help despairing over his lack of concern for others. It wasn't very long ago when they and their brothers were struggling to survive. She couldn't blame him though, he must have blocked it all out in favor of the more happy memories they were making in Nir's camp. She knew it wasn't easy for her to think of the deaths of her parents or those nights with barely a bite of food in her stomach. Caper was a lot more sensitive than she was, so it must be worse for him.

If only he would at least remember that they wouldn't have their current happiness if it wasn't for the elf lord and his band's kindness.

Caper leaned his head against hers and looked sadly down at their joined hands. "I've made you unhappy," he said.

"Of course you haven't," she said.

"I'll ask him to join our game," he said with a sigh.

"No, you don't have to." She leaned up to kiss his forehead. "I'll think of something else."

* * *

Sitting outside of his tent, Thorn studied both his metal knife and the elf knife Willow had returned to him not long after entering camp, trying to decide which to use.

The elf blade was clearly the superior choice with its bone-white edge that never dulled. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to use it again. It seemed silly to attach so much significance to an object that was only a mere tool, but he did.

The elf knife wasn't just his. It had been Lord Sable's. After that, his daughter kept it, more as a treasure than a tool. She didn't actually make use of the knife until she sliced up her face with it.

After that, Thorn took custody of the knife. But even he valued it more as something Sable loved, something he could deprive her of. He was too foolish to really care about what an exceptional tool it was. Now, he knew he was still too foolish to do so. When he looked at the white blade, all he saw was the crimson blood that drained down the edge and smeared over the handle the night their wedding was supposed to take place.

He stuck the metal knife into the sheath on his belt and was about to toss the elf blade back into his tent when Girzal came running up, his older sister not far behind. Daisy wrapped her arms around the boy's shoulders from behind when she caught up and rested her chin on the top of his head. Soon the twelve year old would be too tall for her to do that. As dark as Daisy was fair with his black eyes and hair, Girzal was already tall for his age.

"Only Nir has a knife like that," the boy said to Thorn. "Can you teach us how to make them? We're supposed to be trying to use less metal, because metal is for humans and goblins, not for elves."

"I don't know how to make them," Thorn said, looking down at the elf knife to hide how nervous he was at their sudden appearance.

"That's too bad," Daisy said. "Maybe the next elves Nir finds will know how."

Thorn silently prayed they would walk away now, but the pair lingered.

"If you aren't too busy, we have a favor to ask," she said. "Girzal's still learning how to hunt. You're so good at it. I was hoping maybe you could help him."

Still focusing on the white blade, Thorn opened his mouth to respond, but another voice interrupted his.

"He'd love to," Rowan said as he climbed out of his own tent next to his friend. "He knows more about hunting than anybody I know."

Thorn glared up at him, angry for the first time in years. The black haired elf just smiled, clapped him on the shoulder, and left him with the pleased brother and sister.

"Can we use your elf knife?" Girzal asked, his black eyes flashing with excitement.

Thorn grimaced down at the blade. "Of course."


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for taking the time to read and review LittleMargarita, noonface, and Roxy87!

**Chapter 9**

"If..." Willow started and stopped before finally pushing forward again. "If...if I wanted to form an engagement with someone..." He cast furtive looks at Rowan and Thorn before looking down at his boots again. "...well, how would I do it?"

His companions just stared at him for a moment and Willow felt his face burning even more fiercely. This wasn't easy even with his closest friends. The elf had purposely waited until the three of them were alone before bringing up the topic. Not only was he nervous about the topic of marriage, he was also embarrassed about how little he understood the process.

Willow knew Thorn had been engaged to Sable since she was twelve and would have married her when she turned eighteen if she hadn't scarred herself. The blond man had mentioned those facts often while Willow was growing up. He also distantly remembered Rowan being with Laurel while he was a child. But other than that, the younger man had no example to go by.

"Who is it?" Rowan asked, finally, not bothering to conceal a grin that teetered on laughter.

"No one particular," Willow said. "I was just curious. But never mind. Just forget it."

"No, really, who is it?" the dark haired elf persisted. "No laughing, I promise. We're all grown men here. We discuss this maturely."

"We could if you weren't already laughing."

"Who's laughing? I'm happy for you."

Rowan continued teasing him until Thorn finally intervened.

"There's only one girl who isn't engaged," he said, not looking up from the metal knife he was sharpening. "Daisy's already engaged to Caper, Sala is already with Tibir, and Igira will marry Sumur in a couple of months."

"That leaves Len," Rowan said. "How long have you been in love with her?"

"I'm not- I mean-" Willow stammered, mortified beyond coherent words at this point.

The truth was, he had been admiring her for a while now. Musically inclined like her father, Len specialized in singing and playing instruments. During the year since they joined the band, Willow had become fascinated by the art as well. She began teaching Willow how to play the pipes only a few months before. After initially progressing very quickly, he was beginning to falter during lessons because he would get distracted by how much prettier she suddenly appeared to him.

"I don't think you're ready for marriage." Rowan shook his head. "Look at you. You can't even string three words together."

"If you want to marry her," Thorn said, still examining the metal knife, "go to her father. Tell Galnar your intentions. Tell him you are able to hunt for her, shelter her, and take care of her and that, when she's eighteen, you'll make her a good husband. Then, he will decide whether or not to allow you to marry his daughter. If he allows the match, you'll exchange vows now and then renew them when she becomes your wife."

The blond man rose and sheathed his knife.

"I'm taking Girzal out hunting tonight," he said abruptly and hurried away.

Willow watched him leave, worried he might have hurt Thorn's feelings by bringing up engagements knowing the other elf wasn't allowed to form one. He glanced over at Rowan, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. They sat quietly studying their boots, not saying a word for a few minutes.

"When do you plan on talking to Galnar about Len?" Rowan asked, soberly. He didn't tease or make jokes at his friend's expense for the rest of the night.

* * *

"These prints were left by... a stag! I yearling stag!"

Girzal looked up at Thorn for confirmation. The two elves knelt by a set of deer tracks in the snow.

"And how do you know?" the blond man asked.

"The size," the boy said. "The tracks are smaller than a grown stag, but bigger than a fawn's."

"How do you know it's not a doe?"

Girzal's reply was instant this time. "Stag hind tracks are narrower than the front ones."

"That's right," Thorn confirmed. "And how fresh are the tracks?"

The process of teaching Girzal how to hunt had started out low between getting past the older man's nervousness and all of the bad hunting habits the boy had acquired from Caper's teaching. But by this point, they had both improved so much that finally Girzal was ready to track and bring down a deer on his own.

At least Thorn hoped he was ready. That's why he was giving him an extra drill before he let him go out on his own. The blond man hadn't been the authoritative and domineering teacher Lord Sable had been with him. There was no yelling or threats followed by punishments. In some ways, that worried Thorn. If he didn't use the methods that worked so well on him and Rowan, would he still be able to make Girzal the hunter he needed to be?

Well, this would be the test.

Thorn handed the boy the elvish hunting knife and watched him go off into the woods.

"Girzal," he called out to him.

The boy stopped and glanced back. Thorn shifted uncomfortably. Someone looking up at him with so much trust and respect was difficult to live up to.

"If you don't come back with anything..." he started.

_Don't expect to eat tonight_, Lord Sable's voice echoed in his mind.

"...don't worry about it. We can try again tomorrow."

* * *

The next evening, the band feasted on Girzal's first kill. The beast was a beautiful stag with short antlers that had only just started to branch out.

An ecstatic Daisy insisted on butchering and cooking the deer herself.

"Thank you for teaching my brother to hunt," she said to Thorn as she laid the food out. "I'm so happy he has you to help him." A distant expression filled Daisy's blue eyes when she finished arranging the food for the evening meal. "Our father died when Girzal was nine. He had only just started teaching him before it happened."

Thorn didn't know what to say. He had never seen the girl unhappy before. Daisy usually shined bright and serene like a moonbeam. She nurtured and healed others who were upset, not the other way around. He didn't really know how to respond to this. The nervous elf was about to mention that had never known his own father and had to learn to hunt from someone else too, but stopped. That wouldn't brighten the conversation at all. But he had to say something.

"Your father should be proud of how fast Girzal's learning," Thorn finally said. "Not just any elf can bring down a kill their first night out."

A slow, sad smile curved along her lips. "I bet _you_ did."

"Sort of," Thorn confessed. "I was so nervous, I scared all my quarry away. The more I tried the more frustrated and angry I got, and the more I ruined my chances. It went on and on until the sun came up."

"So you went back to camp empty handed?"

"No. I stayed out all day, sleeping as best I could under my cloak. I didn't go home until the next night when I finally calmed down enough to bring in a doe."

Thorn sunk into a new level of depression at the memory. But Daisy laughed.

"I can believe that," she said. "You're so nervous and determined. You didn't want to disappoint your band."

Disappointing his band had been the last concern on his mind. It had been more about fear of punishment and his pride refusing to show weakness. But he left the mistake uncorrected. He liked her version better.

Thorn was as grateful for the opportunity to help Girzal as Daisy was. The task gave him something to plan and think about other than his own troubles. It also helped him venture outside of himself and little by little join in with the rest of the band. Thorn wanted to thank Girzal and Daisy for that, but he didn't really know how to without sounding strange or pitiful.

Soon, the men came up to collect the shares of food and everyone settled into the evening meal. Almost everyone.

The elf lord stood at a distance from the others, staring up at the stars.

This behavior made the rest of the band very anxious. Whenever Nir got this way, as if he was having an important discussion with the skies, it meant a change loomed ahead. The last two times, the entire band had to move camp abruptly without notice or explanation. But, sometimes his star gazing meant new band members.

"Do you want me to get your food?" Hunter asked his sister.

Kara shook her head solemnly, watching her husband.

The rest of the group ate in worried silence.

"Hey!" Hunter cried. "Why is everyone so down? We've got ourselves a brand new hunter and tracker in our midst. That's something to celebrate."

"Yeah," Falcon said. "Tell us about the hunt, Girzal."

As the excited boy regaled them with the details of his tracking adventure, Nir quietly collected two shares and sat down, handing one to Kara.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

Thorn and the others tried not to listen, but they couldn't help it.

"I'm leaving tonight," he said.

"When are we going?"

"You can't come," Nir said. "Just me and some of the men."

"Why?"

"I don't know."


End file.
